Hey, Sunday is Parade Day! Uptown will again provide the staging areas and the first part of the route for the 52nd annual Chicago Pride Parade, which will step off at noon at Broadway and Montrose.
It's a ton of fun, but it means tens of thousands of visitors to our part of town, and that can mean some necessary adjustments for residents.
Like to sleep in? Good luck! The parade (all 199 entries) begins at noon, but the floats and participants start lining up early. If you live near the staging areas (see below), expect to hear a lot of music and excitement starting as early as 7am.
There will be street closures (again, see below), but more important to street parkers, there will be towing and ticketing along the staging areas and the parade route beginning promptly at 5am on Sunday. The streets are scheduled to remain unavailable for parking until 8pm Sunday.
There will be street closures (again, see below), but more important to street parkers, there will be towing and ticketing along the staging areas and the parade route beginning promptly at 5am on Sunday. The streets are scheduled to remain unavailable for parking until 8pm Sunday.
If you are parked on the street in one of the areas that will be closed on Sunday, we recommend you move your vehicle to a spot away from the staging areas NOW and leave it there until Sunday evening (if possible). The entire area will be gridlocked and there will be very little chance of finding any legal street parking on Sunday.
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| The purple lines are where parking is restricted Sunday between 5am and 8pm. Click to enlarge the map. |
Here's a complete list of the parking-restricted areas, both in and south of Uptown (Uptown-specific areas on in blue):
- Montrose Ave. - Greenview Ave. to Hazel St.
- Broadway - Leland Ave. to Grace St.
- Sunnyside Ave. - Broadway to North Sheridan Rd.
- Halsted St.* - Grace St. to to Belmont Ave.
- Belmont Ave. - Racine Ave. to Broadway St.
- Broadway - Melrose Ave. to Diversey Pkwy.
- Diversey Pkwy. - Broadway to Cannon Dr. (Sheridan)
- Cannon Dr. - Diversey Pkwy. to Fullerton Pkwy.
- Addison St. - 736 W. Addison St. to Sheffield Ave.
- Waveland Ave. - Halsted St. to Broadway St.
- Grace St. - Halsted St. to Fremont St.
- Clifton - Montrose Ave. to Sunnyside Ave.
- N. Sheridan Rd. - Sunnyside Ave. to Buena Ave.
- Buena Ave. - Sheridan Rd. to Broadway
- Wellington Ave. - Clark St. to Sheffield Ave.
- N. Sheridan Rd. - Montrose Ave. to Wilson.
Please note that parking on Halsted and Belmont will be restricted until 4am on Monday, June 26th.
The good news is, Uptown gets dibs on cleaning of the parade route and staging areas. It's rather remarkable - as soon as the last entry crosses the starting line, a bevy of street cleaners come behind them and do their thing.
Another good thing is that the crowds at the beginning and end of the parade route are less intense than they are in the the Lakeview viewing area, so avoid the throngs and watch from close to home.
The parade will be televised on ABC7 between noon and 2pm. The cameras and commentators will be in the Jewel parking lot at Montrose and Broadway.
Extra security will be set up this year in light of heightened threats against the LGBTQ+ community over the past year, so we welcome the safety precautions.
There will be no Grand Marshal this year, but Mayor Brandon Johnson will lead the parade. Other marchers of Uptown area interest are:
- Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles (Lakeside Pride Marching Band) (Entry #14)
- Howard Brown Health (Entry #46)
- Center on Halsted (Entry #63)
- Baton Show Lounge (Entry #72)
- Uptown Chamber of Commerce (Entry #92)
- My Buddy's (#199 -- last but never least!)
CTA will reroute several bus lines to accommodate the parade. Please check the CTA's Pride Page to see details about the rerouting of these buses:
- 8 Halsted
- 22 Clark
- 36 Broadway
- 76 Diversey
- 77 Belmont
- 78 Montrose
- 80 Irving Park
- 151 Sheridan
- 152 Addison
There's a lot more, covering cooling buses, first aid stations, the best places for folks who are elderly or physically challenged to watch the parade, etc., on these two pages:
HAVE FUN! TAKE PICTURES! ENJOY THE GOOD VIBES! We love Pride Day, and hope you have a great time.
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